The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-18

whether Maine statistics cover wider
ground and larger range of oflenses
than the ones compared with il, Sup
pose that one state reports oiby felo-
mics and the other all the cases before
Justices .courts-or suppose one re-
ports al /" drupksp and the other only
the "ragga muffin" cases--or suppose
one has better. system of statistics
than the other and works it better,
what then becomes of your argument
based upon the invidous comparison?
Had you not better look little
deeper into this matter and go little
behind the statistical curtains?
Ny dear general, allow me TO make
a comparison. Suppose we compare
your letter to Mr.. Gibbs with your
message to the legislature. III one
is acknowledged by al men to be a
mastery document of state craft, sur
prisingly strong aud wise. The other
| Il mean the Gibbs letter. will gener-
ally be reckoned by the same Judges
rs the veriest twaddle of a demagogue.
1t is as light as gossamer and MS free
from the cream of argument as blue,
skinned milk from apoor COW. One
| tioO w uIlO Nto w uDOn
what data, authentic and reliable, you
base your conclusion that the suppress
sion of the liquor traffic will not APP
preciably reduce crime and the ex-
pcnsos of prosecuting crime?
Occupying the position you do with
the opportunities of information at
hand, your statement about the work.
ings OF Texas laws would be entitled
to credit more than the immature ut
tcrances of II stranger. This being
true, hast not occurred. 10 you that
the care fully revised statements of the
governors of prohibition States, as
embodied in their messages, and rs
disclosing the workings OF the law in
their States, furnish more reliable and
assuring data than any unripe state
ment to the contrary on your part?
| DO you know more about Maine
than Its governor? Are you better
posted in Kansas affairs than Governl
or Martin? Is il fair presumption
that Governor Larabce, of Iowa, would
gain wisdom in the criminal statistics
of his own state, by paying visit to
the Executive Mansion in Austin?
Are you in position to know more
of crime and its costs in Rhode Island
than its chief of police? The kind of
talk that you now talk is like the talk
Of Gov. Martin, of Kansas, before pro-
hibition was tried. In his biennial
message of this year, 1887, he talks
quite differently. In exchanging CUB
ernatorial civilltics would it not be
well for you to exchange messages?
If did not think you would regard
it as impertinent | would be pleased
to call your attention to some things
the public officials of the prohibition
states have placed on record. The
testimony of governors, judges. attor-
neys, police chiefs, merchants and me-
chaliics. If human testimony can es-
tablish any earthly propositions this
evidence will conclusively show your
statement to be groundless assump-
ton.
Your reference to the revenue reports aud
the conclusions arrived Mt from them indi-
cate, If you win excuse the statement, how
little you have really studied the subject
aud how lily prepared you are to speak dog
maticaly concerning il. 1t is nothing to
the United States how many people pay for
n revenue license. 1t is good for one year
/ when paid for, and is counted one, and so
goes into the reports. The United States
never stops to inquire what becomes of the
man until the next pay day. But allow me
| to show your excelency that the numbe of
these licenses issued in prohibition states
prove nothing as to the amount of liquor
sold, though they may exceed the number
issued before prohibition laws became on
erative.
1. In one town in Kansas, where twenty'y
one permits were granted and paid for and
included in the U. 5. revenue reports, nine
teen of these liquor sellers were in the jail
for violating the law. the others skipped
the country, and the town did not have an
open grog shop during the year. though the
| U. 5. revenue reports would indicate TWEEN
ty-one.
-. In the city of Topeka, at one place of
business, seven men, In rapid succession.
paid each other for such permit, each per-
nit being reported in the U. S. revenue re-
ports, though in seven weeks time all these
sellers we're suppressed hy the indicators
of violated law. Had there been no pro-
hibition law, there would have been only
one license for this one place of business
But under prohibitory law the license in
creased sevenfold, and yet there was no sa-
loon and no one of the seven operated but
4 fora few days. Now here are seven IL
censes under prohibition againstbne before
] prohibition, and the one before prohibition
LA . ,housapd fold mora liouor than the